With the help of major events like the Cannes Film Festival or the Monaco Grand Prix, the company Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur (French Riviera airports, including Nice Côte d’Azur, Cannes Mandelieu and Saint-Tropez) has taken on a series of actions in order to strengthen these airports as Europe’s second hub in private and business aviation, an essential tourism advantage for a high-end clientele.Together, the three airports oversee 50,000 business flights and more than 20,000 helicopter flights, injecting 7.28 million Euros into the local economy each year. The Nice Côte d’Azur airport (+2.8% of business flights in 2013) already includes a specific terminal where two major plane manufacturers (Dassault and Bombardier) provide light maintenance services.

An upcoming website for the three airports

The Cannes Mandelieu airport, which handles some 13,000 flights (and 13,000 helicopter flights) each year, houses 220 planes including some Cessna MROs, Bombardier, Dassault, Cannes Aviation and pilot training models. And for its specific demanding clientele, which includes stars and politicians, the airport launched a service called Sky Valet, a high-end brand to provide special services to support the flying experience of its business passengers. A dedicated website covers the amenities available at the three airports as well as contact information. For this high-end customer base, the airport launched a new magazine called Private Skies, devoted to the luxury services it offers. Next up on the Cannes airport’s agenda: renovating and expanding boarding zones in terminals 1 and 2 with commercial offerings tailored to its clientele.